NCAA MEN
Unseeded Notre Dame upsets Maryland, 7-5
PRINCETON, N.J. — Sean Rogers scored three goals to lead unseeded Notre Dame to a 7-5 upset of third-seeded Maryland in the NCAA Men’s lacrosse quarterfinals at Princeton Stadium.
The Fighting Irish (9-6) took a 5-1 lead Saturday with 8:36 remaining in the first half.
Maryland (12-4) got goals from Jake Bernhardt and John Haus to trim the deficit to 5-3 at halftime. But Notre Dame extended its lead on goals from sophomore Rogers and senior Grant Krebs.
Senior goalkeeper Scott Rogers finished with eight saves.
Notre Dame will play Sunday’s winner between Army and Cornell in the national semifinals May 29 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.
The Final Four appearance is the second for Notre Dame and first since finishing third in 2001.
NCAA WOMEN
Maryland beats Penn 15-10 to gain semifinals
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland’s women advanced to the NCAA lacrosse semifinals on Saturday, getting five goals apiece from Sarah Mollison and Caitlyn McFadden in a 15-10 victory over Penn.
McFadden also had three assists to tie a career high with eight points, and Karri Ellen Johnson scored four times in helping Maryland (20-1) gain the semifinals for the second straight year and 18th time overall. The Terrapins have a record nine national championships in women’s lacrosse.
“Penn is an outstanding team and this was a hard-fought game,” Maryland coach Cathy Reese said. “It was exciting for people to watch because it was very intense out there. We’re looking forward to advancing and are just happy with the way things worked out.”
Emma Spiro had four goals and Ali DeLuca added three for the Quakers (15-4), who advanced to the NCAA tournament by winning the Ivy League championship. Penn fell short of advancing to the national semifinals for the fourth consecutive year.
“Maryland played a great game today,” Penn coach Karin Brower Corbett said. “They don’t make a lot of errors. I think we caused a few turnovers and made some great plays, but then we would throw it away.”
Maryland had 14 ground balls, compared to eight for Penn. The Quakers won 16 of 27 draws.
Spiro scored to give Penn a 1-0 lead 1:48 into the game. Maryland scored the next four, including two by Mollison, and led 6-4 at the half.
“It wasn’t what they gave me, it was more of what my teammates working for me and getting out of the way,” Mollison said. “We gave each other opportunities we know we can stick. Everyone shot well today and it was a great team effort against a great defensive team.”
Spiro scored to give Penn a 1-0 lead 1:48 into the game. Maryland scored the next four, including two by Mollison, and led 6-4 at the half.
UNC ends season for grieving Virginia lacrosse team, 17-7
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The season ended for Virginia’s women’s lacrosse team. Who knows if the grief ever will?
One day before slain teammate Yeardley Love was supposed to graduate, the Cavaliers lost to North Carolina 17-7 on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. Virginia (14-6) was playing its first road game since Love’s death three weeks ago.
“I don’t think that there’s any way that you can really move on from” Love’s death, senior midfielder Brittany Kalkstein said. “Obviously, it’s going to be in our thoughts forever.”
Virginia’s players again wore T-shirts that said “One Team. One Heart. One Love.” Their orange jerseys bore black patches on their chests with “LOVE” in white.
Some North Carolina students wore Carolina-blue T-shirts bearing Love’s name and jersey No. 1. A moment of silence was held before the game to remember the popular senior whose death jolted the Virginia community. A player on the school’s men’s lacrosse team is charged with murder.
The best therapy, coach Julie Myers always said, was to keep playing. She felt lacrosse kept the team together and gave the players something to focus on besides their late teammate. Now, after their most lopsided loss of the year, they head into the uncertainty of the offseason.
“Every day that we’ve been together has been a positive day,” Myers said. “I think it’s taken a lot of energy for us to just go through the steps of a normal day, but I think our team has gotten stronger. I think we have gotten more connected. At the end of the game, one of our fifth-year seniors said, ’There’s not a question in anyone’s mind that we all love each other, and to know that is a pretty special and amazing feeling.’
“So I think we’ve established the unconditional love for one another, and we have gotten a little bit stronger,” Myers said.
North Carolina (17-2) advanced to next week’s semifinals in Towson, Md. — its second straight berth in lacrosse’s final four. After the postgame hugs and handshakes, the Tar Heels stepped back and yielded center stage to the Cavaliers — politely applauding from their sideline while Virginia’s players jogged across the field to acknowledge their fans.
